UK architecture practice Heatherwick Studio has unveiled its plans to transform the uninhabited Nodeul Island in Seoul into a public park called Soundscape.
Situated on the Han River in South Korea, Soundscape will serve as a public space for musical performances and art-based events once complete in 2027.
Heatherwick Studio won an international competition to design it with its proposal for a trail of platforms raised to varying heights, referencing the city's mountainous terrain and the patterns of sound waves while evoking "floating islets".
Heatherwick Studio will transform an island in Seoul into a public park
"I am thrilled that Soundscape has been chosen by the people of Seoul," said studio founder Thomas Heatherwick. "In this hyper-digital age, we've had so many amazing innovations in the way people live but there has also been an increasing sense of loneliness and isolation," he added.
"We want to make a hyper-physical place that reconnects Seoulites with nature, culture and, most importantly, with each other."
The proposal is informed by mountains and sound waves
At ground level, Soundscape will house an arts centre and a public beach, while extensive planting will be introduced along the existing riverbanks and landscape.
A trail of weaving walkways will rise from the lower level and connect the series of curved, elevated platforms, forming a 1.2-kilometre-long skywalk. They will be wrapped in a reflective metal cladding an...